In southern California, between Long Beach and San Diego, where are the good cat beaches and cat sailing/yacht clubs? I would like to find a fleet (formal or informal) where I can do some semi-competitive racing with same or similar types of cats. Also, a place that is not too expensive.

Does anyone know of a place were I can rent cats? ("Real" ones, not a 12' Aqua Cat or Bravo.)

Big Bear is the best. 12-15 every afternoon, 5 miles of fresh water. Long Beach Granada St ramp (Belmont Shores) next best with a ramp to the beach (you'll need beach wheels). Alamitos Bay YC just down the street will host F-18 Worlds in Sept. Mission Bay or South Bay in San Diego are third on my list; South Bay (out of Chula Vista Marina) the better. Rental Getaways may be available on at Mission Bay Aquatic Ctr. No rentals in Big Bear although lessons available. We casual race a small fleet of Tornados every Sat & Sun afternoon. Mast up storage on the beach is $300/ 6 mo. For the coast, best to buy a Hobie 18, and join a fleet where races are every two weeks from San Diego to Santa Barbara Pete

Exactly.

The Long Beach Granada St ramp gets very crowded with kite-surfers when the wind comes up, and there are lessons going on so I worry that they aren't sure how to steer away from me when coming back to the beach, but it is a very ideal place to launch, provided you have beach wheels (I did not, and carrying my P16 up to the trailer in 15-20 winds, with the jib stuck open, sucked.) Inside the breakwall alone is a huge space with a lot to see, and the south end towards Seal beach is quickly accessible if you launch there.

There is a launch ramp at the NW corner of long beach harbor, at Cabrillo Beach, but is seems far out of the way from wide open sailing and more oriented for powerboats. Anyone ever launched from there?

If you have beach wheels, you could try to sneak it onto the beaches inside of newport harbor too, I carried my Prindle onto the beach in Novemeber when it wasn't crowded and residents did not mind. Takes a lot of energy though.

Lake Elsinore not very sailboat friendly, from my personal experience.. Haven't been to the more inland lakes myself, except for north of LA.

Dana Pt is easy to sail away from the dock with quick direct access to the open ocean, but the parking lot is a sh*tshow on the weekends. Also, the wind is usually lighter there than the same day at long beach.

-->Does anyone know what if the Alamitos bay YC is willing to let the public use their launch ramps? I've read contradicting answers online, but from GoogleMaps you can see they have quite a few cats in their storage area.

--->Pete, what is the best luanch facility at Big Bear? I think I might head up there one weekend in August or September
Thanks

Mission Bay is awesome. Enough said about that.

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Redondo Beach, CA
'80 Prindle 16.
(Got it for free!)
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East ramp near causeway has more parking & easier to leave dock, but best wind is west end of lake. Boat must be inspected for Quagga Mussels before launch & daily lake use fee is $25 or $100 for annual pass. Cap't Johns Marina has launch after your inspection & is where all our cats are kept. Pete

Wow $25 bucks a day launch fees. I thought the $10 ones were too much

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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
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